Medieval city builder Manor Lords demo joins Steam Next Fest

pcgamesn.com:

Medieval city builder Manor Lords combines the peaceful industry of settlement management with large-scale battles in the style of Total War. The gorgeous strategy game created by solo developer Slavic Magic is being published by strategy and city building game specialists Hooded Horse, and you can get your hands on a demo of the city building side of things during Steam Next Fest in early October.

Heavily inspired by the architecture of late 14th century Franconia (a German region located towards the south of the country, and home to Nuremberg), Manor Lords lets players build out their cities fifth full creative freedom, eschewing the likes of grid-based systems in favour of complete positional control. As you build out houses, you can choose to add extensions – allowing your population to grow vegetables, raise animals, and more. The visual detail is lovely too, allowing players to zoom right in and watch their people go about their daily business.

Of course, you’ll be expected to deal with the demands of the seasons – stocking up during the spring and summer to ensure you’re able to make it through the harsh winter months. You can spread across the map, building multiple settlements and seeking out more valuable resources. However, the environment will react to your expansions, with animals migrating away from noisy settlements and deforestation a real threat should you get too greedy in your material gathering.

You can also establish trade routes with other neighbouring lords, or you can (and likely will) get into conflicts against them. Here is where the combat comes into play – and your soldiers aren’t just faceless drones, but rather trained warriors and your beloved subjects, meaning that “every death is a cost